As more handheld electronic devices, such as wireless telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), are able to browse the Internet, the need to enter a specific Internet address, such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL), on these devices becomes more common. Typically, the text input methods for handheld devices are inefficient. For example, a wireless telephone typically includes a keypad rather than a keyboard. Keypads are designed first and foremost for entering numerals, such as the numerals of a telephone number. Entering letters into a wireless telephone using a keypad is a slow and awkward process because the keypad may have to be selected numerous times to enter a single letter. For example, to enter the letter “c”, the “2” button on the keypad is selected three times. Moreover, even if one of these handheld electronic devices includes a keyboard, the size limitations of the handheld device require that the keyboard have small keys that make the keyboard difficult to use.
Most web browsers for handheld devices do not focus on entering URLs because the text input is so difficult. Instead, users are encouraged to stay within a preset list of links that are provided by default. When a link from the preset list is selected, only navigation is necessary and text input is avoided. However, as more people use handheld devices to browse the Internet, the preset list of links is not enough to satisfy all users. These users often try to enter new URLs to get to the websites they want to view and encounter the input deficiencies described above.
Thus, there is a need for an improved method and system for entering text, such as a URL, into an electronic device with limited text entry capabilities.